Vices
by Kitsunehi
Summary: A short story that happens years before the series "Basara". There is some hint of shounen-ai between the characters Shidou and Ageha.


Title: Vices  
Author: Kitsunehi (kenderkit@cs.com)  
Archive: Kitsunehi's Garden (http://members.fortunecity.com/kenderkit/index.html); if you want it, let me know...I'd like to know where my stuff goes!   
Series: Basara (If you haven't seen/read it, do it! It's good! Fansubs are available!!!)  
Rating: PG  
Spoilers: Yes. But if you don't care, have at it! ^_^  
Pairings: None, really. Maybe in later chapters if there is positive response.  
Warnings: Hints of shounen ai... Perhaps some will be disturbed by the way the slaves are treated in this fic, but I am trying to keep the views and treatment compassionate. Trust me on this, okay?   
Notes: This takes place before the manga or the series, (especially since the series if the first five issues of the manga!) but is taken from conversation from within the manga/series itself.  
Disclaimer: Sadly, Basara is not mine. If it were, I would have found some way to get the rest of it animated!!!!!!!! But, I'm not making any money for this...and if I were, there are more important things to be concerned with right now...in fact, if I was making any money from writing stuff like this, it would probably be property of the Red Cross to help out on the East Coast.  
Feedback: Puh-leeeeeeze! Actually, whether this is continued at all or not is dependant on it...but no pressure, guys, okay? ;p  
  
~~::~~::~~::~~::~~::~~::~~::~~::~~::~~::  
It hurt. Everything hurt.   
  
Once again, the Master had taken his frustrations out on the pale-haired slave, leaving Ageha bleeding and bruised in several places. Today, it had been because of an unruly animal that had gotten into the granary the night previous and ripped one of the bags open, eating at the spilled contents. There was still enough remaining food that it wouldn't have made much difference, but that didn't matter to a surly man with a penchant for beating his slaves when the smallest of things went wrong.  
  
That being said and done, Ageha carefully made his way out to the stables, where he could get a little water and wash the blood out of his tattered clothing and off of his person before he was beaten again for being unpresentable. All he truly wanted to do was curl up in the filthy hay in the corner he was allowed and sleep off most of the pain, but there was no way that was going to happen. After years of trying and failing miserably, the sixteen-year-old knew his place in the household and what was expected of him. With a heavy sigh, he dipped his hand into the horse's trough and began gingerly swiping at the blood on his face. The water certainly wasn't clean by any means, but it would do it's job well enough.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Ageha froze at the commanding sound of the Young Master's voice. He'd been so certain that no one had been around when he'd slipped away to the stables! And now, Master Shidou had found him... "I...I was only washing myself a little, Shidou-sama," he whispered, ducking his head down. Although the Lord's son was a far kinder master than his father, Ageha had never presumed to expect kindness and waited for the blow to his body.  
  
"With that filthy water?" Shidou asked sharply, noting how the slender form before him winced. His hazel eyes softened and he placed a gentle hand on the silver-haired boy's shoulder, turning Ageha slightly, until he could cup the proud face in his hands. "You'll get sick if you wash in this. Come with me," he ordered in a much more gentle voice than he felt he should have. He began to walk away, only pausing when he noted the absence of the slave and turned slightly to see the filthy youth staring at him in something akin to shock, his gray eyes wide, mouth slightly open.  
  
"Well, are you coming?" Shidou asked, arching an eyebrow at Ageha. As enchanting, and well...cute as the scene was, there wasn't a lot of time to waste and he knew the far-too pretty boy would be searched out soon and beaten again if he was found even the slightest bit dirty. A small smile quirked across his lips as Ageha scuttled forward without another word. "We don't have much time, so I want you to come directly to my rooms. If nothing else, we can stall Father a little in some other ways, yes?"  
  
Ageha nodded miserably, not even wanting to consider what way Shidou might find appropriate to distract his father with. The walk itself was agonizing and by the time they had gotten up the narrow stairway, his joints ached with a vengeance and he was feeling light-headed. He barely managed to stumble into the room when Shidou held the door open for him, and collapsed to the floor, his arms barely keeping his face from meeting the floor as brutally as his knees did.  
  
Shidou frowned at the scene in front of him. Didn't his father realize that he was very probably damaging a lovely creature beyond what could be healed? Ageha certainly wouldn't be of any use if he couldn't earn his keep, and if nothing else, Shidou rather enjoyed watching the long-haired slave work. It was truly a pity he couldn't gain his father's favor enough to take control of the pretty boy; he could think of much better uses for him than a punching bag.  
  
The ginger-haired teen pulled impatiently at the bell rope in his room, pacing as he waited for his attendant to show up. Honestly, he didn't understand what took Juuri so long some days! When the knock finally sounded on the heavy wood door, he called out sharply for raven-haired man to enter. "I want you to get me a bucket of warm water and make sure it's clean," he ordered, daring the slave to say a word when his pale eyes lit on the miserable ball on the floor. "I also want rags and soap...and some bandages. Now."   
*************  
  
With his Master's orders given, Juuri left the room as fast as he could. The warm water was easy enough; that could be gotten in the kitchen on the way back to Shidou-sama's room. The main problem was finding the other items requested. He'd never had to patch the Young Master up, nor that unruly little cousin of his, surprisingly.  
  
"Number Sixteen, what are you doing?" a gentle voice asked from behind him, a teasing lilt to it.  
  
"Looking for the blasted bandages, rags and soap for Shidou-sama," he half-snapped at the smiling girl. "I don't suppose..."  
  
"Oh, is the Young Master hurt?" Lina asked, her blue eyes widening. "I'll get it right away..."  
  
"No, he isn't injured," Juuri replied instantly, dreading what sort of household rumors could stem from such assumptions. "He's decided to take pity on Thirty-one today, since the Master was a bit rough on him this morning."  
  
Lina snorted. "'A bit rough' he says," she spat. "The Master is never just 'a bit' rough with Thirty-one. And thank God that the Young Master is so kind to him. Why, if it weren't for..." Her angry rant was cut off by a sharp slap across the face.  
  
"Shut up, woman!" Juuri hissed, glaring down at her. "Do you want to get us all killed? As it is, I should turn you in to Hiroshi-sama for your blasphemy!"  
  
"Then do it!" she snapped, throwing the needed items at him angrily, ignoring the trickle of blood that seeped out of the corner of her mouth. "I would rather die than put up with this indignity any longer!"  
  
"Your request hasn't fallen on deaf ears," another voice informed her dryly. "I can most certainly honor it, if you truly wish for your...indignity to end."  
  
Juuri stiffened and gathered up the fallen items as quickly as he could. He had already taken too long as it was, and Shidou-sama was likely to be angry. He turned away and hurried out of the small supply room as fast as he could, bowing to Shidou-sama's beloved cousin on his way out, careful not the meet the unruly-haired boy's angry gaze. He felt bad, as Lina was a good worker, if not uncharacteristically outspoken and strong-willed for a woman...but he supposed that's what happened in other countries; they let their women get too opinionated and allowed them to assume that they were just as good as men. He barely heard the girl's muffled response as he rushed away, not wanting to be questioned on any more than he'd heard.  
*****************  
  
"What is taking him so long?" Shidou seethed, glancing at the door for the umpteenth time in so very few minutes. "Perhaps, Thirty-one, you would like to take his place? I'm certain you would do things much more quickly, wouldn't you?"  
  
Ageha barely heard the Young Master's words, but nodded. Anything to keep Shidou-sama happy and distracted from taking any sort of anger out on him; he didn't think his body could handle it. "H-hai, Shidou-sama," he rasped weakly, fighting to keep his vision from fading.  
  
"Oh, for Byyako's sake, lay down," Shidou sighed, glancing down at Ageha. "I certainly don't want to have wasted time and effort if you're just going to die on me in the end!"  
  
Ageha nodded and lay down on the cold stone floor, curling into a ball, trying to keep warm and failing, but fought against the shudders that threatened to begin racking his slight form. He heard another exasperated sigh and tried to curl tighter in on himself, waiting for a kick, or possibly a slap of some sort. Anything that happened, he hoped that it would end quickly.  
  
"You truly aren't very bright, are you?" Shidou remarked, shaking his head affectionately as he bent down to scoop the slave up into his arms. "Or perhaps you are too smart for your own good, even when your own welfare is at stake. Well, now that you're with me, you'll listen to what I say and you'll do as I say." With his mind made up, he gingerly lowered Ageha onto his bed, scowling at the mess that would be made on the covers.  
  
Finally, there was a knock at the door and Juuri slipped in, closing the door behind him, head down, carrying what he had requested. "I'm sorry for taking so long, Shidou-sama," he murmured, placing everything within easy reach of the hazel-eyed boy.  
  
"I don't want to know," Shidou said, shaking his head. "Just get his clothes off, Sixteen. I don't want any more of that filth on my bed."  
  
Juuri nodded and set to attempting to peel the blood-and dirt-caked clothing off Ageha without hurting the boy too much. It was fruitless, once he saw how much of the blood was still stubbornly clinging to the wounds along the youth's torso. So, he opted for trying to yank the clothing away as quickly as possible, which didn't work well, and he winced as Ageha cried out in pain, a tear leaking out of one eye, streaking down the dirty face.  
  
"Stop that!" Shidou roared, slapping at Juuri's hands. "You're doing more damage than good right now, you idiot. I want a bath prepared with some of those herbs Twenty-three uses for poultices."  
  
"Hai, Shidou-sama," Juuri replied, backing away from the bed, and hurried down the stairs. Perhaps if he hurried, Lina would stop being stubborn and take the out that the Young Master was offering as an alternative to possible death at the hands of Shuri-sama. Although only thirteen, the young Prince was showing definite signs of his bloodline (if the rumors were to be believed, at any rate). He was, most often, a carbon copy of his older cousin in compassion and fairness, but the boy had a hidden mean streak that worried Shidou-sama at times.  
  
When he managed to find Shuri-sama, he let out a sigh of relief when he realized that the boy had no intentions of killing Lina. The older girl was backed into a corner, her arms half-pinned above her head, arching slightly into the boy's unskilled touches as he tugged at the sash holding her tunic in place. Turning his head, Juuri let out a quiet cough and waited silently.  
  
"Ye~es?" Shuri sighed, somewhat angry at the disturbance.  
  
"Pardon my interruption, Shuri-sama," Juuri murmured, still looking away. "But Shidou-sama has requested a bath made up with some of Twenty-three's herbal knowledge."  
  
Shuri sighed again and stepped away from Lina, who blushed and stared at the floor as she stepped around him. "I will expect to see you later, Twenty-three," he ordered, glancing at her. Lina gave no more than a nod and hurried back to the small storage room she'd been in minutes before, searching out the bag of herbs the Young Master requested.  
  
"What has my cousin gotten himself into this time?" Shuri asked, strutting past the older man like a young rooster, apparently proud of himself for having "wooed" the slave girl.  
  
"Well, Shuri-sama, it's rather what number Thirty-one had gotten into," Juuri answered truthfully. "He was very badly hurt and Shidou-sama has taken pity on him..."  
  
"Ah, I see," Shuri murmured thoughtfully. "Well, I shall have to see what this is all about." He turned and smirked a little as he heard his cousin's faithful servant try to politely dissuade him from bothering the older boy without saying so and marched up the stairs to Shidou's room.  
**************  
  
Finally, the knock sounded that Shidou had been waiting for. "Enter," he commanded, snapping his gaze to the doorway. His expectant watch faded when he saw Shuri's young form standing outside his bedchamber. "Cousin," he greeted with a smile.  
  
"I heard you had a slave in here," Shuri said, glancing curiously at the bed where Ageha lay.  
  
Shidou nodded. "Come in, Shuri," he said, waving the boy inside from his place beside Ageha. "I will show you something very important that may come of use to you one day." After Shuri had come close enough, Shidou continued. "You see, a possession, animal, or slave is useless if it is injured beyond what can be healed. When this happens, we must get rid of it and then replace it with our own cost, which tends to get expensive and time consuming.  
  
"And even if we were to buy anything new at a lower price, there is always the chance of bad breeding, or even worse, stupidity that can't be properly trained. And even then, the intelligent ones tend to have idiotic tendencies and no matter how well you train them, it takes time and you may never get the little quirks out of them for several years." Shidou looked at Shuri, to make sure the young man was paying attention to his lesson. "My father apparently does not hold the same standards as you or I, and therefore, he doesn't realize that he's potentially ruining a perfectly good piece of property by damaging it so often and refusing to care for it. This has gone on for several years and I fear that he can't take much more punishment after today's castigation."  
  
Shuri nodded, taking in the whole scene carefully. He knew that Shidou had been fascinated by the silver-hared slave for years, always kind to him and watchful that too much damage didn't occur. He couldn't really see Shidou's interest in the boy; after all, he looked like a girl and a filthy one, at that! He was always being punished for something or other and apparently wasn't a very good slave if that was happening so often. But he knew that his cousin had his fancies and number Thirty-one was one of several.  
  
"See how the wounds have started to clot with his clothing still embedded in it? What do you suppose happens when one tries to remove the clothing, then?" Shidou asked.  
  
"Well, it would pull the dried blood away and reopen the wound," Shuri remarked, pointed to one such case from the earlier ministrations of Juuri's. "It makes an even bigger mess, too."  
  
"Correct," Shidou replied, nodding his head once. "And if a living thing loses too much blood, it becomes weak and open to disease. So, what I'm going to do is have a hot bath prepared, so the dried blood will loosen in the water, and it will be easier to remove. And at the same time, I can clean the cuts out so it won't take so much time when we get him out. I'd much prefer a hot spring for this sort of thing, but seeing as there aren't any nearby, and the trip to the nearest would very probably make him worse, I have to make do with what we have here. But always remember that nothing is a proper substitute for hot springs!"  
  
Shuri nodded seriously. Another of his cousin's fancies; hot springs. Of course, this was one of those that he wholeheartedly agreed with. Hot springs were good for just about every ailment he'd run across; muscle aches, torn ligaments, hurt joints, shallow wounds...more than he cared to think of, not to mention that they really were very nice to lay back and soak in. "What happened to him this time?"  
  
"Father felt the need to take out a few frustrations again," Shidou sighed. "Honestly, you'd think the man would have more sense, sometimes." He reached out and brushed some of the slave's stray hair out of his face, noting a scrape across one cheek that looked shallow enough to heal without a mark.  
  
"Perhaps he just doesn't see the value that you do, cousin," Shuri remarked, stretching his arms above his head and glancing at his older cousin out the corner of his eye. "After all, it's become rather apparent that the two of you have very different ideas of what is valuable."  
  
"Yes, I suppose that is happening more frequently as of late," Shidou admitted to the younger man. "But there is always a time in a man's life when he expected to begin making his own decisions, and I'm certainly old enough to start doing so."  
  
Shuri responded with an amused smirk. "And I suppose that means that you'll be demanding to keep Thirty-one?"   
  
"It would very probably be for the best as far as expense and time is concerned, don't you think?" Shidou asked, all his attention quite obviously focused on Ageha.  
  
"Of course it has nothing to do with personal interest," Shuri remarked sarcastically. Honestly...what *did* Shidou see in that thing?   
  
The older teen laughed out loud at his cousin's dry commentary. "Oh, I will certainly admit to having a personal interest in Thirty-one," he admitted with a chuckle. "Of course, I have an interest in the unique and aesthetically pleasing. You very probably can't remember seeing him dressed properly and cleaned up, but I do. The effect is truly quite...lovely."  
  
Shuri snorted and shook his head. "Your interest in all things unique and pretty is going to cause you trouble, you know."  
  
"Possibly," Shidou agreed. "But I certainly wouldn't waste my time if I didn't think it was worth it, would I?"  
  
"There are times I really don't understand much of what you do, Shidou," the dark-haired boy admitted. "I think I'll leave you to play with your invaluable investment...I have some things to attend to."  
  
"Of course," he agreed, hazel eyes flashing with amusement. He knew very well that Shuri was getting to the age where he enjoyed watching some of the female slaves on the estate; that was all very well and good, and the boy didn't quite understand the logistics of having bastard children running around just yet. "Enjoy your afternoon, then. I'll see you at evening meal." After a long moment, he let out a soft chuckle and turned to the slave on his bed. "Well, he certainly doesn't understand the aesthetics of the world just yet, does he?"  
  
"I don't know, Shidou-sama," Ageha replied quietly, not opening his eyes.  
  
"Oh come on, Thirty-one," Shidou chided. "There's nothing wrong with agreeing that a younger person still has much to learn."  
  
"Perhaps not for you, Shidou-sama," he said, daring to speak up and be free with his thoughts. "But if one is a slave, one is not allowed a negative opinion about one's Master nor his family."  
  
"That's ridiculous," the ginger-haired man scoffed. "Of course you are. You just aren't allowed to speak it out loud where they can hear you."  
  
Ageha nearly choked when he heard the Young Master's words and couldn't keep his eyes from widening. Apparently the action was rather comical looking, as Shidou burst into laughter. Once there was no one else at all around, it seemed to Ageha that the young man was quite different from the image he presented in company that very probably had means of reporting such things to the Master.  
  
"Oh, Thirty-one, you do please me so very much," Shidou chuckled. "I think I will demand to have you. I'm certain that Father will be a bit put out for a short while, but he would be better off to give you to me rather than kill you, I'm assuming." Stepping over to the bedside, he reached out and ran his fingers through a lock of long silver hair, marveling at the color and texture of such a unique trait. "Yes...I do believe that I would gladly do battle with my father for you, Thirty-one."   
  



End file.
